The Tesla Gigafactory 2 is a photovoltaic (PV) cell factory, leased by Tesla subsidiary SolarCity in Buffalo, New York. The factory, owned by the state of New York, was built on a remediated brownfield site from a former steel mill. Construction on the factory started in 2014 and was completed in 2016-2017.
Originally, in 2013, the site of Gigafactory 2 was planned as a clean energy business incubation center. As SolarCity acquired Silevo in 2014 and merged into Tesla two years later, plans for the factory grew significantly. The factory, in a partnership with Panasonic, started limited assembly of photovoltaic modules in the summer of 2017 using imported Japanese PV cells. It will begin mass production of modules through October 2017. In 2018, SolarCity plans to begin production of individual solar cells.
After the initiation of Gigafactory 1 near Reno, Nevada in 2016, Tesla began to refer to the SolarCity Gigafactory as Gigafactory 2. The Tesla Gigafactory Europe will be named either Gigafactory 3, 4 or 5.
Video Gigafactory 2
History
Background
Republic Steel and Donner Hanna Coke operated a major steel mill along the Buffalo River on the 88-acre South Buffalo site from the early part of the 20th century to its closing in 1984. As a response to the regional manufacturing downturn related to deindustrialization in the Rust Belt, the State of New York created an economic stimulus package, later dubbed the "Buffalo Billion," unveiled by Governor Andrew Cuomo during his 2012 State of the State address. This package included a provision for $1 billion in unearmarked economic investments for the Buffalo area.
On November 21, 2013, Cuomo returned to Buffalo to announce the Buffalo High-Tech Manufacturing Hub at Riverbend, targeting the Republic Steel site, then a brownfield, for the development of a clean energy business incubation center that was to be funded with $225 million from the Buffalo Billion fund. At the time, the two companies announced as tenants were lighting manufacturer SORAA and solar panel manufacturer Silevo, which promised 475 jobs. Development of the site would be managed by the SUNY Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, now SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
SolarCity detailed plans to acquire Silevo on June 17, 2014, for $200 million, subsequently scaling up plans for the Buffalo gigafactory. The company outlined a construction timetable and hiring goals promising 3,000 jobs in Buffalo with 5,000 statewide, and $5 billion in economic activity. New renderings of the facility were detailed, abandoning the research center design and moving towards the construction of a 1.2 million square foot factory. As a result, the state increased the incentives offered to $750 million.
Construction and production
Ground broke in September 2014. The facility was completed in late 2016 and was furnished with equipment through 2017. As of August 2017, production of tiles for the Tesla Solar Roof had begun at the factory, along with traditional solar panels. In January 2018, Tesla announced, after testing on employees' roofs, that it would begin installing the new product on commercial customers' homes "within the next few months".
Maps Gigafactory 2
Rationale
Before Tesla and Panasonic began their partnership at the Riverbend site, Panasonic already had 30 years of experience producing solar panels. Because SolarCity incorporated the manufacturing process that Silevo had intended to use for production, the partnership allows Tesla to outsource production and reduce its burden on debt. In addition, the technology involved with Silevo incorporates nanotechnology, an emerging sector in upstate New York that colleges and universities such as SUNY Poly and Erie Community College have developed programs and research in, with the latter offering semiconductor and nanotechnology programs specifically for employment at the gigafactory.
In June 2015, Lyndon Rive, then CEO of SolarCity, stated that the new facility would be key to creating a clean energy-manufacturing market, adding that expansion would not be possible at the Riverbend plant, but more likely in the immediate area. Spin-off development was also signaled by leaders of the project. Musk has also suggested that the company's solar panels could be helpful in humanitarian crises, such as rebuilding the electric grid of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
While SolarCity operates a pilot production facility in Fremont, California, the Gigafactory provides ample capacity for 10,000 solar panels per day, equivalent to one gigawatt per year, providing a competitive edge to cheaper panel factories in Asia and operating as one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world.
The facility also takes advantage of tax incentives and leasable space from the State of New York.
Operations
As of August 2017, the factory assembles photovoltaic modules for solar panels, under Panasonic. Production of solar shingles and tiles for the Tesla Solar Roof had begun. Tesla announced that it would begin installing the Tesla Solar Roof on commercial customers' homes "within the [first] few months" of 2018.
In an interview in 2016, Elon Musk stated that the Buffalo gigafactory could potentially produce up to 10 gigawatts (GW) per year as a result of the merger, a drastic increase from the initial estimate of 1 GW. It is currently anticipated that the factory will reach 2 GW before this target.
Controversy
The project faced several criticisms, controversy and legal actions regarding overinflated job promises, cost overruns, construction delays, bid rigging, and the financial health of both SolarCity and Tesla.
References
External links
- Official website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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